A History of the Lincoln Community League

_The Lincoln Community League (LCL) was established to provide a variety
of community programs and social events for the benefit of the
residents in and around the village of Lincoln. The LCL sponsors
community events such as the Thanksgiving and Christmas Drives and Keep
Loudoun Beautiful. It puts on various social activities including the
Easter Egg Hunt, the 4th of July Parade, the Ice Cream Social, and
Christmas caroling. In addition, it runs and operates the Lincoln Post
Office and is responsible for paying for the streetlights in the
village. The LCL is the civic and social organization for the village
of Lincoln. It is not to be confused with the Lincoln Preservation
Foundation (LPF) which is committed to the preservation of the
historical community of Lincoln and the surrounding area.

What
is now known as the Lincoln Community League was founded in the late
1920s. At this time, the village of Lincoln was a small Quaker
community. The LCL was formed by the Goose Creek Meeting as a vehicle
for social and community activities. The primary focus was supporting
the high school that was located on the site of the current Lincoln
Elementary School and the elementary school that was located on Foundry
Road.

The community raised money to purchase school
supplies and to help furnish the schools. In addition, the community
provided the fire wood the elementary school used for heat. The
elementary school, had no well, but had permission to use Taylors’ well
across the road. The male students would carry water from the well
to the school. Students also used to play baseball and other sports in
the Taylors’ fields.

In 1908, a two-story high school was
built on the site of the current Lincoln Elementary School. It served
as the high school for much of Western Loudoun. Unfortunately, this
structure was destroyed by a fire in 1925. The current single story
structure was built in its place and remained a high school until 1954
when Loudoun High School in Leesburg was opened. At that time, the elementary school moved from Foundry Road to its current site.

In the 1920’s the Meeting hired George Sellick as its pastoral
secretary. Part of Mr. Sellick’s duties were to lead the Meeting’s
community work. Into the 1930s, Mr. Sellick, in his position as
pastoral secretary, oversaw many of LCL’s activities. The LCL arranged
dinners and social events as fundraisers. Then, as now, the LCL held
ice cream socials and organized Christmas caroling. The group used to
meet in the Janney Store which was originally known as Lyceum
Hall. Lyceum Hall was purchased by the Janney family in 1928 and is now
the home of the Lincoln Post Office.

In the mid-1930s, the
Lincoln School PTA, whose membership included many in the LCL, took
over primary responsibility for supporting the schools. To this day,
LCL retains close ties to the Lincoln Elementary School. The LCL
then began to raise money for sidewalks and street lights. One of its
fundraising activities was to put on plays such as “She Stoops to
Conquer” and “10 Nights in a Barroom” at the Lincoln School and at
other schools throughout Loudoun County.

Prior to World War
II, Ralph Boring was hired to replace George Sellick as pastoral
secretary. With World War II, however, LCL activities slowed
down. Activities did not pick back up until the late 1960s and early
1970s when new people began arriving in the community. The Meeting
played a prominent role in revitalizing the LCL by offering the use of
the Meeting House for community meetings. The issues of the day were
providing new sidewalks and paying for the village’s street lights.
These projects drew the community, with its new arrivals, together.

A lot of planning went into these efforts. In 1971, to help raise
money, the LCL put on the first of several “Dirt Road Tours” which
featured several old Quaker homes in the area. LCL also held pot luck
suppers and 4th of July celebrations. Under the leadership of LCL president Billy Cochran, volunteers in the community removed the old sidewalks. LCL then hired a contractor who poured the new sidewalks.

As they are today, the meetings were open to all in the community. The
LCL by laws specify that the rganization is not to be a political
organization, but rather, a community organization. Then as now, LCL
never wanted to pit neighbor against neighbor or be a source of
divisiveness in the community. With this in mind, it even prohibited
politicians from speaking at the 4th of July celebrations. The new
members of the community helped to evitalize the LCL.

Today LCL
enters a new phase with many important issues. New families have
joined the community and the county continues its dramatic growth. In
addition to its traditional civic and social activities, LCL is faced
with important new issues such as traffic calming, repairing the
sidewalks, and maintaining the Post Office. As always, it is a
non-political organization that serves as a vehicle for community and
social activities. LCL’s activities rely on volunteers and are headed
by a number of chairs. The current chairs are:

Keep Loudoun Beautiful (KLB):
Every April, KLB organizes volunteers to remove litter from Western
Loudoun’s roadways. The Lincoln Community is responsible for
approximately 18 miles of local roads. Ellie Daley - Chair.

4th of July Parade: This
event is generally held the morning of the 4th of July. Participants
form at the Lincoln Elementary School and march down to the Meeting
House. Contests for best costume, best decorated home, and best dessert
are held. Patriotic songs and a potluck lunch follow the parade.
This year’s activities will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 4th. Alison Lyons and Sarah Huntington –Chairs. A third Chair is needed.

Ice Cream Social: This event is traditionally held the first Sunday after Labor Day on the Meeting House lawn. The community meets for homemade ice creams and desserts. Anne Tiffany – Chair.

Halloween Hay Ride:
For the last several years, this event has occurred sporadically. It
occurs before Halloween and has included stops to see “haunted houses,”
to hear scary stories, and to participate in various Halloween
activities. Vacant.

Thanksgiving and Christmas Drives: Annually the Lincoln community sponsors Thanksgiving and Christmas drives for needy local families. John Scharfenberg – Chair.

Christmas Caroling:
This event is usually held on the Friday night before Christmas.
Carolers generally meet at the Lincoln Elementary School and carol down
to the Meeting House parking lot for a bonfire, hot chocolate, and
cookies. Vacant.

Welcome Committee: This
committee welcomes new families to the Lincoln community. It provides
a welcome basket and information about the community, the LCL, and
gifts from local merchants. Ellie Daley – Chair.

Lincoln Log:
LCL is reviving what it hopes will be a quarterly newsletter
containing information about community events and topics of interest. John Scharfenberg – Chair.

Lincoln Elementary School Liaison:
This position helps strengthen the ties and serves as a conduit of
information between the Lincoln community and the Lincoln Elementary
School. Mary Beard – Chair.

Traffic and Safety:
This is a new position that will work to develop traffic
calming measures. It will also help to provide traffic safety at
community events. Vacant.

Post Office: The town of Lincoln has a contract with the U.S. Postal Service to run the Lincoln Post Office. The chair oversees the postal operations and will oversee the renewal of the village’s contract. Sara Brown – Chair.

Lecture and Concert: The LCL holds a number of events including lectures, readings, and plays for the community. Vacant.

Please contact LCL if you are interested in chairing or volunteering for any of these positions. Click here to contact us via email.